GOVT 85.44 War and Society
This seminar examines the relationship between soldiers and societies in the production of violence in war. Adopting a “war and society" perspective, the course offers a curated view of classic and recent research from political scientists and historians on key questions in the conduct and legacies of war around the world. Questions include: Why do soldiers fight, and why do they run? Why do some armies reach the commanding heights of military effectiveness, while others disintegrate under fire? Why do some militaries rebel against their political leaders? What are the effects of battlefield deaths on the home front? How do societies memorialize their war dead? And does the rise of new technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence affect the relationship between soldiers, armies, and the societies that create them? Equal weight is given to non-Western and Western cases, ranging from imperial China and the Comanche Empire to the United States, Soviet Union, and the Islamic State. Similarly, the course takes an expansive look at war across the centuries, drawing on conflicts as distant as the Peloponnesian War to modern conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Students will have the opportunity to explore these theoretical debates and will draw on primary documents, including soldiers’ letters to the home front, in their assignments.
Instructor
Lyall